Kenya’s premiere pan-African festival series, Koroga Festival, celebrated its one-year anniversary on Sunday with another successful edition held at the Arboretum Gardens in Nairobi.
One of Africa’s greatest new age voices, Winyo, soothed festival-goers with his melodic harmonies, whilst Just A Band surprised the crowd with an impromptu performance with Kenyan rapper Octopizzo.
The star of the 7th edition of Koroga Festival, though, the thing that left the afterimage in your ear, was Oliver Mtukudzi’s contagious vocals and sense of dynamics. The Afropop legend from Zimbabwe really seemed to be up to something bigger than music – older, and deeper. An hour and a half in his presence, and you start thinking about what it means to be in this moment, breathing and appreciating the nature of culture. The crowd surrounded the front of the stage as Mtukudzi effortlessly played his guitar with so much care and attention that the cheering seemed to fall silent and your heart rate slowed. When The Black Spirits played the familiar melody of “Todii,” the crowd erupted as festival-goers jumped to their feet and danced along. “It feels great to be African,” Mtukudzi said with his familiar husky voice to endless cheers, the band’s volume rose slowly until the sound was loud and enveloping. The energy at Koroga Festival’s dome was all-consuming.
If you missed Sunday’s Koroga Festival, check out the photoblog below!
Moments from Koroga Festival
Photos captured by Sidney McGregor
